Significance

The other day the Executive Director, Jai Ok Shim, of the Fulbright Program in Korea spoke to the Fulbrighters. She is one of the Bosses of this Fulbright situation. Her presence demands one's full attention. You know when you receive over eighty 90 degree bows you run things. She touched on the importance of teaching, adapting to the culture, and attempting make the most out of this experience. Moreover, she stressed the significance of being a cultural ambassador and how this program is monumental in that it can substantively affect how Koreans view Americans and vice versa. This is not only an opportune time to experience another country and travel to various sections of the world, but there is a much bigger consequence to our placements. I am representing for not only America but Philadelphia, the Athy family, Villanova... Additionally, I am the only black male here and throughout various workshops I have realized that many Koreans have a negative image of black males (coming mainly from the US media). They can view us as threats, lazy, and not true Americans. After Ms. Shim opened my eyes to how important being a cultural ambassador is, I finally began to realize how special being a Fulbright Scholar is.